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IWC Dive Watches

First things first: not to state the obvious but the IWC Ingenieur Chronograph Sport Watch (Ref. IW380901) is not going to be for everybody. For a start its 44mm in diameter and 15mm thick, making it, shall we say, less attractive to those with smaller wrists. On the flip side however, the case is constructed from lightweight, super strong titanium, which means the watch is nowhere near as heavy as it may first appear.

The IWC Da Vinci has gone through a number of redesigns since it was introduced in 1969, housing the first Swiss quartz movement, the Beta 21. IWC reimagined the Da Vinci collection last year to re-introduce a round Da Vinci case shape with prominent articulating lugs.

Specifically designed for underwater activity, diver watches have surpassed the technology of traditional underwater timepieces in a modern era, combining appealing aesthetics with functionality. Traditionally, diver watches have a water resistance of 200-300m and are specifically designed for aquatic use. With classic designs and highly technological features, this type of watch is anything but limiting or difficult to wear.

In another installment in our series on the basics of divers’ watches, we explains why some dive watches have built-in helium-release valves and why others don’t. We also explain why each type is perfectly OK, according to the type of diving you do.

Date back to SIHH 2014, Swiss brand IWC released a slew of new models in its revamped IWC Aquatimer collection of luxury divers’ watches. For fans of vintage watches — and vintage IWC watches, specifically — we highlight here five important IWC Aquatimers from the brand’s history.

Date back to 2014, IWC introduced the absolutely re-designed IWC Aquatimer collection, with the Aquatimer 2000 as its most performance-oriented representative: its 2,000-meter water-resistance, titanium case, in-house IWC 80110 caliber, and new “SafeDive” bezel system made it one of the most interesting dive watch releases of that year.

If your plan was to spend less money this year on watches, probably you want to skip this article. Most mechanical dive watches are priced under $10,000 (although the iconic Rolex Deepsea, Sea-Dweller, and Submariner watches, as well as many Blancpain Fifty Fathoms models, might go for a bit more now), however there are several types of fascinating dive watches that go way beyond that.

Despite IWC is heavily focusing on its pilot’s watches for 2016, the Aquatimer range, which was relaunched in 2014, will also be extended: The Aquatimer Chronograph Edition “La Cumbre Volcano", limited to 500 pieces; the Aquatimer Automatic Edition “Expedition Jacques-Yves Cousteau”; and the Aquatimer Automatic 2000 with a black-and-yellow dial were all announced shortly before Christmas and will be presented at the upcoming SIHH in Geneva.